"It was a failure of a season": CFB analyst issues a reality check for Kalen Deboer's 9-win Alabama 

Head coach Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide did not have a successful season by their standards. Despite winning nine games and nearly qualifying for the SEC Championship Game and college football playoff, they ultimately missed out on both. For a team accustomed to making the playoffs every year, missing out in the new 12-team format is unacceptable.

On Thursday, ESPN analyst Cole Cubelic appeared on "Beat Everyone: An AL.com Alabama Football Podcast" to discuss the Crimson Tide. He spoke with host Ben Flanagan about the adjustments the team will need to make in the coming seasons (starts at 10:00).

"It's gonna take some mental adjusting because we're in a different era of college football. Like I'll put it to you this way. Who won the SEC this year?" Cubelic asked. "Georgia," Flanagan responded. "You know how many wins they finished with?" Cubelic asked. "10 or 11," Flanagan said. "10. How many did Alabama finish with?" Cubelic asked. "Nine." Flanagan responded.

"Yeah and it was a failure of a season right? There's gonna be more games. There's gonna be more kids going different places. There's gonna be more talent dispersed across more teams across college football. Different teams are finding different advantages."

NIL has allowed players to earn significantly more money in college football than ever before. As a result, star players are more likely to choose the school that offers the highest financial incentive. Consequently, a team like Alabama will not have as much success drawing in star players solely based on its prestige. Talent will be more evenly distributed.

Kalen DeBoer adds Ryan Grubb to his coaching staff

In an effort to improve his team for next season, Kalen DeBoer hired Ryan Grubb as the next offensive coordinator. DeBoer and Grubb have a long history of working together. Most recently, they were both members of the Washington Huskies in 2022 and 2023. They helped lead the team to a National Championship Game appearance in 2023, ultimately losing to Michigan.

Grubb is a respected coach in the college football world who earned an NFL job this past year. He served as the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks. Despite helping the offense become the 5th-ranked team in passing yards, he was fired after the season.